Semiautomatic safety lighter



Jan; 22, 1946. E. R. ANDERSON SEMI-AUTOMATIC SAFETY LIGHTER F'led Oct. 50, 1943 iatentecl Jan. 22, 1946 LUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEMIAUTOMATIC SAFETY LIGHTER Edward R. Anderson, Blackstone, Va. Application October 30, 1943, Serial No., 508,346

V Claims. (Cl. 158-10) This invention relates to a semi-automatic safety lighter and more particularly to a lighter embodying a wick which is adapted to be saturated with a liquid fuel which may be lit and employed for kindling purposes and which au'- tomatically extinguishes itself at the conclusion of the kindling operation.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a rugged assembly of comparatively few parts, to obtain a kindling unit which is economical in construction and which may be manipulated easily and conveniently to perform the desired operations with utmost safety and dispatch. l

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a semi-automatic safety lighter which may be cocked into a position to permit the initial lighting of a small portion of a wick to produce a small flame, functioning as a pilot light, which flame may be enlarged subsequently by the extension of the wick by the operator after his hands are relieved from ,the task .of striking a match tothe wick andwhich flame is controllable in extent to perform the desired operations as a lighter, preliminary burner, pilot light or the like, and which is automatically extinguishable by the release of the wick by the operator.

It is a further object of the invention to prov vide a safety lighter embodying a woven fabric wick formed of cloth, asbestos, or analogous materials, which may be shifted to a limited extent for consumption by the flame and which may be replaced conveniently at periodic intervals. The invention also comprehends the use of an auxiliary plunger having a wick wrapped therearound which may be replaced by a similar unit following the substantial consumption of the wick.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a safety lighter having a wick enclosed by a split sleeve which is designed to restrict the area of the flame along a predetermined ,portion of the peripheral surface of the wick to produce a more efficient flame at a desired point and one which will not smudge and smoke. Y

It is a further object of the invention to provide a self-sealing arrangement which encloses the -wick in a manner to prevent evaporation of the liquid fuel with which the4 same is impreg nated or saturated.

Other objects and purposes will appear from the more detailed description of the invention following hereinafter, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved semi-automatic safety lighter with the intermediate portion thereof broken away shown in its cocked position, preparatory to the firing of a Y starting light by the application of a lighted match or other flame thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the safety lighter:

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the upper portion of the safety lighter showing the position of the parts when the lighter is cocked in the position shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the upper end of the safety lighter when the same is in its sealed and inoperative position;

Fig. 5 is a Vertical sectional view with certain parts in elevation of the upper portion of the safety lighter showing a different embodiment of the wick mounting therein;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the wick shown in slightly extended position and including the refinement of a split sleeve restricting the area of the flame: and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view along line '1 -1 of Fig. 6.

In the drawing is shown a safety lighter formed by a cylindrical tube or casing of uniform diameter and of a length which may be conveniently handled by an operator to apply a flame to industrial burners or large kitchen stoves of the typeused in army field service kitchens and the like. A wire plunger 2, having a loop 3 formed at one end thereof serving as a handle therefor, extends through the cylindrical casing l and terminates in a bent loop 'l at the opposite end thereof. A fabric or woven wick 5 of asbestos, cotton or any other known wick ma.- terial, is wrapped or coiled around the end of the wire plunger 2 adjacent the loop] and mal7 be retained in place by wire ties 6. This wick is adapted to be saturated with a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, such as gasoline, kerosene and the like, one dip being sufficient for a large number of lightings. The rolled wick fits closely the interior of the casing and is adapted to be ejected by the upward movement of the wire plunger through the cylindrical casing l so that the end portion thereof extending through the open end 4 of the casing may be lit with a lighted match or any other flame, and thereafter the wick may be extended further to produce a larger llame foi` the purpose of its application to any desired points which are of difficult access with a match directly, as is the case with large ranges, vapor retort burners, or industrial burners.

The invention comprehends the automatic extinguishment of this flame by the release of the plunger 2 to cause the automatic retraction-of the wick into the cylindrical casing, and the extinguishment of the fiame is assured by the seating of the fire-quenching member I5 upon the open end 4 of the cylindrical casing. The Wick is extended from the casing against the force ofI a coiled spring 2II surrounding a portion of the wire plunger 2 having one end thereof connected to a wire 2f which is anchored to a washer or closure member 8 for the cylindrical casing at the end thereof adjacent the handle. The opposite end of the spring 2U is anchored by a wireA 22 to a point of the plunger 2 adjacent to the wick, and this anchor may be conveniently provided by the lower set of tie wires. 6 of. the'wick.

In order to permit the Wick to be. extended,

for a slight extent, to permit its initial lighting, and to still leave at least one of the operators hands free to apply the match thereto, the requenching member at the end of the wickplunger is arranged to permit a cooking of the device to expose the end ofthe wick without the necessity ofV holding the wickr in this position by hand. This' result is attained by arranging a substantially semi-spherical member I I., having a nail I2 extending through the roundedend thereof, functioning as a link, which is looped at I3 to engage the loop 'I at the end of plunger 2. A washer I5 having a diameter greater than the internal diameter of the casing, and preferably one correspondingto at least' the external. diameter of the casing, is threaded' on to the transverse surface of the cylindricalY element by means of bolt I6 engaging segments of the sheet metal member II which are displaced circumferentially vand axially corresponding to the threads of the bolt,y in a manner well known in the art of sheet metalv nut structures. As shown in Figs. l and' 3, the link connection between plunger 2 and the re quenching member Il) at elements I andv I3 permits a dropping of the washer IllY across a chord of the open end 4 of the'casing to maintain the parts in this position by the retractile force of spring 20 acting upon the wire plunger 2. With the parts in this position, an operator can strikea match conveniently on the knurled portion 25 ofV the casing to ignite the end of the wick 5 protruding from the end 4 of the casing. Thereafter the wick is extended by the ejection of the wire plunger 2 against the force of spring 20 to increase the size of the flame to any desired degree for the purpose of executing the necessary lighting operations.

A release of the handle will automatically guide the wire plunger 2 with the Wick thereon and the fire quenching member ID onto the end of the cylindrical casing to the position shown in Fig. 4 to effectively quench the flame and seal the device against the exit of the combustion gases therefrom. In view of the fact that a manual manipulation of the fire quenching member IIJ` is necessary to place it in the cooking position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, there is no possibility of the device assuming a position other than that shown. in Fig., 4 when the spring 2Il retracts the plunger 2 into the casing carrying' with it the member I freely linked thereto.

It is understood that the position of the wick along, the Wire 2 may be shifted from time to time as the end. thereof is consumed by rearranging the tie wires 6.

Furthermore, the inventionA comprehends the which is mounted the wick 5. Loops 28 and 29 are provided on the opposite ends of the auxiliary plunger 2b to engage respectively loop 21 of the main plunger 2a and the loop I3 of the fire quenching member I0. Thereby a used wick unit may be replaced at any time by a replacement unit provided by the auxiliary wire plunger 2b and the Wick wrapped therearound. In this constructional embodiment the actuating spring 20 may be anchored by the. Wire 22 to the loop 21 of the mainA portion of the plunger, as` shown in Fig. 5, or the attachment may be made to loop 28= or some other part of auxiliary plunger 2b.

AnI additional refinement of the invention may be realizedv by providing a spring split sleeve 30 uponY the.v end of the wick having a tapering gap 3l to produce a flame of restricted area along the gap. This flame does not smoke as much as a flame. burning around the complete periphery of the wick in view of the fact that a lesser amount of fuel is available at the gap for combination with the same quanti-ty of air surrounding the wick. 'I'he size of the flame is. enlarged bythe iiared contour of the gap 3| as the wick is extended, as shown in Fig'. 6.

A handy embodiment of the invention is attained by a safety light using a piece of 5/8'" pipe or tubing of approximately 2 to 21/2' in length with a steel wire plunger of vabout 1/8 diameter extending about 4" from the tube in the inoperative position of the lighter. The length of the Wick may' be 8" or less.

While I have described my invention as embodied in a specic form and as operating in a specific manner for purpose of illustration, it shouldl be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto, since variousy modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. A safety lighter comprising a cylindrical casing, a Wire plunger extending through said casing having a handle at one end thereof and a Woven wick coiled therearound adjacentA the opposite end thereof, a self-seating first-quenching member linked to said wire plunger at said subdivision of the wire plunger 2 into a main 4 portion 2a and an auxiliary portion 2b upon last-mentioned end Whereat the wire plunger terminates in a loop, said member comprising a semi-spherical element embodying a substantially semi-spherical portion and a plane end portion,` said semi-spherical element having a link extending from the semi-spherical end thereof in engagement with said loop in the end of said wire plunger, and a Washer engaging the opposite plane end of said element of slightly larger diameter than the internal diameter of the cylindrical casing, a coil spring surrounding said wire plunger having one end xed with respect to the end of said casing adjacent said handle and the opposite end attached to a portion of said plunger adjacent to said wick whereby said spring is tensioned in response to the ejeoting movement of said wick from said casing for return thereinto by the. force of said spring, whereupon said fire-quenching member seats itself upon the end of the casing to extinguish any flame thereat.

2. A safety lighter comprising a cylindrical casing, a wire plunger extending through said casing formed with a handle at one end thereof and a fabric wick wrapped therearound adjacent the` opposite end thereof, a self-seating firequenching member linked to saidl wire plunger' at said last-mentioned end whereat the wire plunger terminates in a loop, a. coil spring surrounding said wire plunger having one end thereof fixed with respect to the end of said casing adjacent said handle and the opposite end thereof attached to a portion of said plunger adjacent to said wick whereby said spring is tensioned in response to the ejecting movement of said Wick from said casing for return thereinto by the force of said spring, whereupon said lire-quenching member seats itself upon the end of the casing to extinguish any flame thereat, said self-seating fire-quenching member comprising a semi-spherically shaped element terminating in a plane end portion and fitting into the open end of said cylinder, a link extending from the semi-spherical end of said element in engagement with said loop in the end of said wire plunger and a washer of slightly larger diameter than the internal diameter of the cylindrical casing attached to said element adjacent to said plane portion, said link, semi-spherical element and washer adapted to swivel freely as a unit from the loop of the wire plunger and being of a length slightly greater than the distance of wire and loop of the plunger which is exposed beyond the wick to permit the engagement f the edge of the washer with the open end of said cylindrical casing by the force of said spring to expose the extreme end of said wick for the kindling of a small pilot light for enlargement upon the subsequent ejection of a larger portion of the wick against the force of said spring.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said semi-spherical element is formed of sheet metal with the segments thereof at the plane end so disposed as to form a nut unit, and a threaded bolt engaging said nut unit for maintaining the washer in place.

4. A safety lighter comprising a cylindrical casing, a wire plunger extending through said casing having a handle at one end thereof and a woven wick coiled therearoundadjacent the opposite end thereof, a self-seating fire-quenching member linked to said wire plunger at said last-mentioned end, a coil spring surrounding said wire plunger having one end iixed with respect to the end of said casing adjacent said handle and the opposite end attached to a portion of said plunger adjacent to said Wick Whereby said spring is tensioned in response to the ejecting movement of said Wick from said casing for return thereintc by the force of said spring, whereupon said fire-quenching member seats itself upon the end of the casing to extinguish any flame thereat, and a split sleeve surrounding the exposable part of said-wick arranged coaxially therewith and forming a gap for confining the flaming area of said wick.

5. A safety lighter comprising a cylindrical casing, a wire plunger extending through said casing formed with a handle at one end thereof and a fabric wick wrapped therearound adjacent the opposite end thereof, a self-seating firequenching member linked to said wire plunger at said last-mentioned end, a coil spring surrounding said wire plunger having one end thereof fixed with respect to the end of said casing adjacent said handle and the opposite end thereof attached to a portion of said plunger adjacent to said Wick whereby said spring is tensioned in response to the ejecting movement of said Wick from said casing for return thereinto by the force of said spring, whereupon said lire-quenching member seats itself upon the end of the casing to extinguish any flame thereat, said self-seating fire-quenching member comprising a semi-spherically shaped element tting into the open end i of said cylinder and a split sleeve surrounding the exposable part of said wick arranged coaxially therewith and forming a tapered gap having its minimum width at the outermost end of the wick for conning the flaming area of said wick and permitting its widening as the wick is ejected from the casing.

EDWARD R. ANDERSON. 

